Hetalia Rouge!
by CSFlinxStalker
Summary: A man recalls a year in the life of a playwright, a poor man in love with the most beautiful prostitute in all of Paris, and the rival of a powerful duke for her heart. CanadaxSeychelles, other minor pairings. T for prostitutes. Songfic. Moulin Rouge!
1. Nature Boy

Well long time no see Fanfiction. How many times I will be writing that, I don't know. Anyways, back on topic. A few months ago, I watched for the first time the wonderful musical Moulin Rouge. Me, being the romantic sap, loved it. Here I am later on spring break with nothing to do, so here's a gigantic songfic or just a regurgitation of the whole story. Enjoy!

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It was a bleak night in Paris the beginning of a millennium. 1900. Dark clouds hung over the city out the window of an old run down traveler's inn. In the back of the room was a thin man. Wavy blond hair that had lost its gleam long ago hung over the man's face. Head pounding from a hangover, he slowly opened his dull blue eyes.

Across the room upon a table sat an old, worn typewriter. The man slowly brought himself to sit at the table. He placed his fingers over the keys. Slowly, he began to type each word, whispering them in a soft voice to himself.

"The greatest thing…you'll ever learn…" He felt the tears swelling up in his eyes.

"Is just to love…and be loved…in return…"

He paused, took a breath, and continued.

"The Moulin Rouge. A night club… ruled by Francis Bonnefoy. Where your darkest desires would be realized by the beautiful creatures that inhabit it…the most beautiful, being the one I loved… Seychelles. A courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her…the sparkling diamond. And she was the star of the Moulin Rouge."

Pausing, he rested his forehead on his hand, turning to look out the window to the building across the way. An old red windmill.

"The woman I loved is…dead."

Turning back, he continued.

"I first came here to Paris one year ago…it was 1899, the summer of love. I knew nothing about the Moulin Rouge. The world had been swept up in a new craze, the Bohemian Revolution. And I came from Canada to become a part of it. From the train I soon found my way to the town of Montmartre, and it was not like how my brother had described it.

'Really now? Come on, bro. France? That place is so old and boring with their baguettes and their mimes. Now, if you want a real story that people will love, write an action adventure about an unstoppable hero, like me!'

…Anyway, it was the center of the whole Bohemian revolution, filled with artists, writers, musicians, painters! They were called the "Children of the Revolution". So, I wanted to be a part of it. I have come to live the life of a penniless writer, to finally be acknowledged, and to write about freedom, beauty, truth, and above all things, love!

…Erm, there was just one problem with that…

I had never been in love!

Luckily at that moment, an unconscious Spaniard fell through my roof.

He was then followed by an Italian dressed as a nun holding a cat."

The door burst open as a carefree looking Italian jumped in.

"Ciao! I'm Feliciano Vargas, and you?" Feliciano lept over to him, making small "Ve~" noises with each step, and stuck out his hand.

"Um… I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams. Nice to meet you too?" The Canadian unsurely took his hand and received a vigorous shake.

"Uwaa~, Spain-nii chan fell asleep again! Then again, he takes lots of siestas. I should take one soon too…" The Italian began muttering things to himself, the cat in his arms giving a meow. Matthew was unsure of this sight. Were these strange people also artists?

"Ugh…don't tell me Antonio fell asleep again!" A gruff voice came up from the hole in the ceiling. An albino man stuck his head through and peered down at Matthew.

"Oi Feli-chan, who's dis?"

Feliciano snapped out of his daydream and looked up at the man.

"Oh! Prussia! Spain-nii chan fell asleep again!" He gave a frown, probably longing for a nap and a break as well, then walked over to Matthew.

"Hey Prussia, maybe Matthew can take Spain-nii's part in our play until he wakes up! Can he?"

"A play?" Matthew repeated, shocked.

Apparently, Gilbert - or as Feliciano kept calling him Prussia – was the leader of this troupe of actors writing a new and modern play called "Spectacular Spectacular" that circled the ideals of the Bohemian Revolution!

"Well we do need someone to stand in while I write the music to finish this scene…" A rather proper dressed man wearing glasses spoke out, holding a few pieces of sheet music in hand.

"Oh man, we, like, sooo need a stand in so I can think up the effects we need for the next scene." A younger…man(?) with fairly long blond hair and green eyes turned to the Prussian. "Next scene's gunna have, like, lot of ponies, right? They're just so awesome to leave out!"

…Okay, this is just getting even weirder.

Before you know it, he was dressed as a…hunter?

"Of ponies!" Feliks interjected.

Feliciano was singing something about mountains, Roderich was playing the piano beautifully, and Feliks was…trying on an outfit that Matthew was pretty sure belonged on a girl's body.

"Grrr! Stop, stop!" Gilbert was waving his hands around in the air, disgusted.

"You!" He pointed to the pianist. "Are totally prissy, nine-foot-pole-up-the-butt boring! Play something awesome and cool for once, will ya? You're messing with my story!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Hey guys! Doesn't this milkmaid's dress, like, looks sooo cute on me?"

"Ve?"

"Shut up, you cross-dressing weirdo!"

"Um…hello?" Matthew was unsure of what to do. He went on being ignored.

"You have always been like this since day one Gilbert! I haven't the faintest idea why I even agreed to do this!"

"Well excuuuse me princess, but who made you, like, queen of everything?"

"Hmph, be that way then!" Gilbert yelled. "I don't need you, any of you! Haha, I can do this all on my own!" He made his way towards the door, opening it. "I'm so awesome, I can play the parts on my own, and everyone will want an encore of my entire play! I'll make millions! Ha ha ha! I don't need help at all! I'm used to doing things on my own anyway! Ha…"

Giving a few more weak laughs, he slammed the door behind him.

"…Umm, so, like, what do we do now dudes?"

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Again, thanks for reading, please press that lovely button below to review and let me know if I should continue this! :D

- As always, Astri.


	2. Children of the Revolution

"So..like…what do we do now?"

"Ugh! That Gilbert! Honestly, he will never really learn, will he? Now all we have left is a few scores and no words!" Roderich exclaimed, waving a hand around the room.

"Um…I can give it a try…"

The three men in the room turned to look to the Canadian, obviously in a shock from remembering he was there. Suddenly feeling shy, Matthew paused before gesturing to the pianist to try again.

"…It's about music and the hills, right?...well…let's see…ah…" He mumbled to himself as the first measure of lyrics drew closer.

Feliciano's eyes lit up with an idea. "Ve~ what about… the hills siesta with a lullaby?"

"No, no…the hills…animate?"

"No, like the hills are as great as Warsaw…"

"The hills are infinite with symphonic melodies!"

Everyone in the room stared at Antonio, who as soon as we awoke, fell back unconscious on the mattress he was lying upon.

"The hills quake and shake…"

"The hills…"

"The hills…and music…" Matthew had the line on the tip of his tongue. Then it hit him as he burst out:

"_The hills are alive~ with the sound of music~"_

All other voices in the room became quiet as they gazed at him. Matthew gave a small laugh as he grew uncomfortable in their stare.

"Woah!" Scattered miscellaneous items on the floor clattered as the Spaniard leapt from the bed onto the floor, turning to stare strongly at the Canadian.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music…I love it!" He cried.

Again eyes turned to Matthew as he let go of a sigh of relief.

"The hills are alive…"

"With the sound…"

"Of music…" Roderich finished the phrase with the music, in shock. "It fits perfectly!"

"_With songs they have sung for a thousand years~"_

A smile broke out on his face as everyone in the room cheered. Roderich interrupted.

"Pardon my rudeness in asking…but have you ever written something like this before?"

"Actually…no."

"The boy has talent! I like it." Antonio moved next to the boy and put an arm out as if to rest his hand on Matthew's chest as a sign of congratulations. However, with Matthew on a ladder, Antonio's hand landed flatly a bit lower. The other boy let out an uncomfortable noise. Antonio withdrew his hand and looked to the side, letting out a small cough.

"Nothing funny…I just like new talent."

"The hills are alive with the sound of music! Ne~, with Matthew here we can write the bohemian revolutionary show that we've always dreamed of~!" The Italian cheered, cooing at the cat in his arms, only to start crying out as it started to lick his face.

Ignoring that, Roderich had a closed hand covering his mouth in thought.

"But how do we convince Francis?"

Feliks raised his hand and waved it around in the air. "Oh! Oh! I know!"

"Seychelles."

They came up with a plan. All they had to do was dress me in Antonio's best suit and pass me off as a famous Canadian writer. Then I would receive the chance to entice her with my poetry to convince Francis of my worth to write Spectacular Spectacular! The only problem was that I kept on hearing my brother's voice in my head-!

"Hey guess what? I made this awesome new recipe; it's a giant chunk of ham, covered with hamburger meat, wrapped in bacon, deep fried, and dipped in-"

...Wait, not that one.

"I'm sorry to tell you this bro, but truth is, you're kinda dull. I mean, poetry and true love, and stuff? No wonder you're kinda invisible. You'd have to do something pretty fan-fricken-tastic to make up for it. After all, you are the brother of an amazing guy like me~"

Matthew then stiffened up and bolted to the hole in the floor to try and escape. The strange bohemians chased after him as he put one foot through. Feliks grasped one of his arms.

"Woah, woah, man. Like, where do you think you're going?"

Frantic blue eyes met his piercing green ones. Matthew's gaze soon fell to the floor…or rather ceiling according to half his body.

"I-I-I'm not even sure if I really am a true bohemian revolutionary!" He muttered.

The men around him gave a collective gasp.

"But you believe in beauty, of course," Roderich started.

"Well, yes…"

"Freedom?" Antonio added.

"Of course,"

"Truth?" Feliciano piped in.

"Yeah, but-"

"Love?" Feliks finished, the other three men looking to him.

The Canadian again met his eyes, but with such wonderment his own as if the Polish man was crazy for even questioning his belief in it. He slowly made his way back up on his feet, not once breaking eye contact with the group.

"Love? Love…above all things, I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing…love lifts us up where we belong – all you need is love!"

There was a grand pause as the others stared at him in amazement. Again, to erupt in a great cheer. Feliciano pulled down Matthew by bringing an arm around his neck (He is notably shorter than the rest of the group, after all.).

"We can't be fooled~ You're a true-to-heart, real bohemian revolutionary!" He cried, as the others came around closer, giving a hearted pat on the back or Antonio giving a healthy kiss on his cheeks.

Feliciano broke away to pull out a strangely green colored bottle from a nearby shelf and a few glasses.

"I assume that you've never had the pleasure?" Roderich asked, taking the bottle and pouring a shot, handing it to Matthew.

It was the perfect plan. 

I was to audition for Satine and taste my first glass of… _absinthe._

At once, everyone downed their glasses.

Matthew suddenly felt a surge of warmth fill him, spreading to his extremities from his deepest core. All the colors around him seemed to get brighter – more beautiful than he ever imagined they could be. He gave a glance to the bottle in Feliciano's hand, and it seemed as if the fairy on the bottle was coming alive.

"Da ze~ I'm the green fairy!"

With a flash, the fairy flew off the label and floated before them, the room bathed in a warm green glow. The group of men began to laugh loudly, eyes gazing at the spectacle in front of them.

"_The hills are alive~"_

"_With the sound of music~"_

The fairy, with a strange bobbing curl of hair that looked almost as if it had a face, flew out of the door way to the outside air. The bohemians were fast behind it, stumbling onto the balcony. They began to drunkenly chant out, readying themselves for the journey to the nightclub soon.

"Freedom, beauty, truth and love~!"

The green fairy seemed to multiply (or maybe just their drunken vision) as it continued to sing Matthew's lines, fluttering around them. Matthew soon grew more dizzy by the second, and looking to the red windmill in the distance, everything in the world began to spin out of control, as singing turned to screeching as the fairy's eyes faded into a bright red, and everything in the world felt so fine but nothing made sense anymore.

We were off to the Moulin Rouge.

I would perform my poetry

for Satine.

And as they made their way into those grand doorways, Matthew could not believe that the beautiful scenery around him was really what he was told it would be.

Up on the stage, a tall Frenchman stood in a ringleader's costume. He had a long length of sleek blond hair and a faint gathering of a beard on his chin.

"Bonjour, to all, to the Moulin Rouge!"

Francis Bonnefoy, and his infamous girls.

They called them: his Diamond Dogs.

"_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?"_

He wasn't sure when the band in the pit near the stage started playing, but in from the doors near by came numerous girls, all different shapes, styles, colors, and ages. All in ruffled cancan dresses, they danced their way forwards onto the dance floor with Francis in the lead.

"_If life's an awful bore_

_And living's just a chore_

_That you do 'cause death 's not much fun_

_I've just the antidote_

_And though I mustn't gloat_

_At the Moulin Rouge_

_You'll have fun!"_

Amazed, Matthew watched the women all around find a partner, dancing in ways he's never seen. Even the high class gentlemen around him began to chant as they marched their way to the floor.

"_Here we are now_

_Entertain us_

_We feel stupid_

_And contagious! _"

Francis nodded a few girls toward the less assertive men, eyeing a few rich pockets within them. As they too were taken away by the beautiful women to dance, he still sang as he marched on around.

"Got some dark desire?

Love to play with fire?

Why not let it rip?

Live a little bit!"

Matthew was still amazed and astounded at this new and dark world he was brought into. His heartbeat grew frantic as the music's tempo grew faster and faster, and before he could stop himself, he cried out,

"'Cause it's good for your mind!"

He let out a wild yell, before being nudged in the side, being brought back to his senses, as he followed the short Italian to a table.

"Mission accomplished! We successfully evaded Francis!"

Taking a seat and gathering his breath, Matthew gazed all around at the dancers. The atmosphere in the room grew to a higher pitch with every note, and the peak was almost there…!

And all of a sudden, the music stopped. The room suddenly grew dark, and one spotlight shined to the ceiling. A rain of glittering confetti showered onto the floor slowly, as a single swing descended from the air.

"It's her!" Feliciano breathed. "The Sparkling Diamond!"

"_The French are glad to die for love…"_

Matthew had, never in his live, seen a more beautiful woman. Tanned, flawless skin and flowing dark brown hair gave her the air of an island goddess. Her eyes opened to show bright honey colored gems. Clad in a sparkling sailor-school girl outfit (Although very much less appropriate for a school), she continued singing in a clear voice.

"_They delight in fighting duels…"_

But someone else was to meet with Seychelles that night…

"_But I prefer a man who lives…"_

"Francis' investor…"

_And gives expensive…_

…_Jewels."_

"Arthur Kirkland, The Duke."

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Ha, I'm sure you enjoyed that ending. XD I apologize for the wait, but in return, I give you 5 ½ pages to read. School's ending in a few days, so I'll keep going soon! Again, give the review/reply button some love and let me know how I'm doing, how's my writing, and comments and concerns, etc! Thanks for reading everyone! :D

Also, to avoid confusion, underlined text is Canada's thoughts/text. Italic text is song lyrics.

The one french line from Lady Marmalade... a friend told me that translated it's "Come sleep with me".

Also, could not find a female character for the green fairy, I apologize. XD (I have plans already for some of them in the story anyways.) So will have to stand in for that meantime.


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